So...
1. I tried http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/ with floppies. I manage to boot linux from the first floppy but then it cannot read the floppies with drivers to access hdd: writes fd0 I/O error. Tried to mount fd0 from bash promt - the same error is given.

2. Tried to boot with bootable CD from external usb CD-ROM. (power to it was provided from a USB 2.0 port of another computer). But it doesn't work out as well: just boots as if there was no CD-ROM at all. Possibly BIOS firmware doesn't support it. (set different settings in BIOS like diagnostic boot, boot devices order: removables, then usb and vice versa etc)

3. it's not bootable from USB flash stick at all.

Would appreciate any help answering any of the following questions:
1. how to load drivers when booting via floppy?
2. how to make X21 see external USB CD-ROM without having possibility to log in Windows?
3. any other advice to solve my problems

X20 and X21 ability to boot USB devices is limited to floppy. I tried PLOP before; it is impressive, I cannot make anything better, I am not trying to be mean and critical; its claimed capability to load bootcode from USB MSC never worked for me.

The simplest solution would be to get an X2 Ultrabase (aka, "media slice"). It has a floppy and Ultrabay 2000 built in. The FRUs (part numbers) to look for are 08N1180 and 04P3304. For example, there is this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251620824248 If you are patient, you might find one for cheaper.

The simplest solution would be to get an X2 Ultrabase (aka, "media slice"). It has a floppy and Ultrabay 2000 built in. The FRUs (part numbers) to look for are 08N1180 and 04P3304. For example, there is this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251620824248 If you are patient, you might find one for cheaper.

I never had an X21, but looking at the HMM it seems to have two USB ports. If not, please ignore everything below

As already mentioned, plop to the rescue. Contrary to automobus, it has always worked for me for laptops as old as the 560X.

So, grab the plpbt-5.0.14.zip from the download page, linked above and use rawrite2.exe (google it) and create a bootable floppy using plpbt.img . So this floppy once created will go into your usb floppy drive. Next, create a bootable usb drive using the usb140201.zip file (instructions under "How to make an bootable USB drive"). Plug the bootable usb and the floppy drive into the X21's USB ports.

Make sure your boot sequence under the BIOS has "Removable devices - Legacy Floppy Drives" first. http://service.lenovo.partner-managemen ... 1_bios.swf The plop floppy should bring up a menu asking you to select where to boot from. Choose USB. Hopefully it will go to the other USB port where the flash drive is sitting and boot from there. If not, your other option would be to get a PCMCIA USB card, so then you may create a "pcmcia plop boot floppy" instead and boot from there. Hope it makes sense.

igosm wrote:Or they can be sold without them and installed separately?

The X2 UltraBase has what's called the Ultrabay 2000 installed into it. It is a hardware bay where you can install various optical or hard drives (using the appropriate adapter). I can't tell from those pictures, nor from the wording of the seller's description, whether or not it includes an optical drive. The floppy drive is permanently built into the base so unless it's damaged somehow, you should be able to boot from it.

As always, it pays to ask the seller specific questions about the item before bidding on it:

- are all ports working?
- does the floppy drive work?
- is there an optical drive included?
- if so, what type of drive is it (CD-ROM reader only, CD writer, DVD reader only, CDRW-DVD combo, etc.)?
- does the optical drive work?

There's no reason why you have to do the work on the X21 itself, unless it has an HDD password. If it doesn't, simply remove the hard drive and connect it to any other computer by any means: internal IDE connection if available, or a USB-to-IDE adapter / enclosure.

Then, if your original goal was to gain access to files residing on the hard drive, you can simply copy them to somewhere else.

If you do wish to boot the original system, though, you can now boot the other computer with a boot disc of your choice. (It is my understanding that ntpasswd cannot reveal the original password but can overwrite it.) Make the required modification, and put the hard drive back into the X21.

although this post is a bit old what I found out might help others !
It IS possible to use a bootable USB-Drive to install a fresh windows !The bootable USB drive with the OP-System installation files has to be plugged in !